Chapter 20: Worldly
CHAPTER 20
WORLDLY
“Do not love the world or the things in the world,” wrote the apostle John (1 John 2:15). Those who do that are called worldly. It’s kind of an old-fashioned word. And Christians don’t always agree about what is worldly and what isn’t.
For our Amish friends, worldly refers to such conveniences as electricity, telephones, and automobiles. For the very conservative church where I grew up, worldly applied to a list of prohibited activities such as dancing, card playing, and going to movies. But the problem of worldliness is actually much broader than a list of prohibited activities or modern conveniences.
A passage in 1 Corinthians can help us understand the more “acceptable” aspects of worldliness and how it relates to our subtle sins. Paul urged the Corinthians to “use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away” (7:31, NIV). In other words, we should handle even the legitimate things of the world with care lest they become too important to us.
Based on this explanation, I define worldliness as being attached to or preoccupied with the things of this temporal life. What we’re attached to may or may not be sinful in itself, but the high value we put upon it makes us worldly.
“Set your minds on things that are above,” Paul urged, “not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). Our focus and priority should be spiritual, our highest value placed on God-related pursuits: Scripture, prayer, the gospel, obedience to God, the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and eternal life, not to mention God Himself.
The non-Christian world clearly does not focus on these things. Most of our nice, decent, but unbelieving friends are only interested in the world around them. Yet their lifestyles are usually not so different from ours. They go to class, hang out, text their friends, try not to get in trouble — just like we do. That’s why living among them makes worldliness feel so acceptable to us. So we can further develop our understanding of worldliness by this secondary definition: Worldliness means accepting the values, attitudes, and practices of the nice but unbelieving society around us without discerning whether or not those values, attitudes, and practices are biblical. Worldliness is just going along with the culture around us as long as that culture is not obviously sinful.
Worldliness is a broad subject worthy of an entire book, and I’m devoting only a chapter to it. So I’m going to limit our discussion of it to three areas I believe have become acceptable sins to many of us: money, immorality, and idolatry.
But aren’t immorality and idolatry obviously unacceptable to Christians? Not always! We’ll be looking at certain aspects of both that have become familiar and acceptable to many Christians. As for money, which can also involve obvious sin (such as stealing it!), we’ll also limit ourselves to what seems generally acceptable to most people.
MONEY
What we do with our money tells us a lot about what we care about, and it can be a sad tale.
In 2004, for example, the average household income after taxes was $52,287. As I mentioned in chapter 13, the average household credit-card debt was $7,000. But the average household’s giving for all causes was a mere $794 — about 1.5 percent.
These statistics are, of course, based on our entire population. Evangelicals do better than that, but not by much. In a 2003 survey, members of eight evangelical denominations gave 4.4 percent of their income to God’s work. This was actually a decline from the 6.2 percent that members of those same denominations gave in 1968. If those eight denominations reflect evangelicalism as a whole, evangelicals are becoming less generous toward God with their money — and more like society in general.
If our giving is decreasing and our debt is increasing, what are we doing with our money? Certainly not saving it — our average savings is only 2 percent of our income. What we’re doing is spending — buying such things as houses, cars, clothes, vacations, and electronics. We have become worldly in our use of money.
How much should we be giving? The Old Testament standard was the tithe — 10 percent of income. A person who makes $10,000 gives $1,000. Someone who makes $100,000 gives $10,000. The kid who makes $50 in babysitting money gives $5.
As we’ve seen, average giving among evangelicals is less than half of that.
There is some disagreement about whether the tithe applies to Christians, although the concept of proportionate giving — giving “according to what a person has” (2 Corinthians 8:12) — is clear in the New Testament. But I don’t believe this disagreement is the reason tithing has fallen on hard times. The reason is worldliness. When it comes to money, we’re focused on the things of earth, not the things of God.
Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). But in the lives of many Christians, money is winning. And the Bible clearly says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:10).
If money wins out in our lives, God’s not the one who loses. He doesn’t need our money. But if we spend all our money on ourselves, we’re the ones who become spiritual paupers.
But what if someone cannot afford to give 10 percent? That’s between the person and God. As 2 Corinthians 9:7 puts it, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion.” But can I tell you my story?
Years ago, when I left industry to become a staff trainee with The Navigators, I took a 75 percent cut in salary. I was financially shell-shocked. “I can’t afford to tithe,” I thought. “Surely God accepts my really low income doing His work as my giving.” But my conscience kept bugging me, so I finally decided I would tithe my meager income and trust God to provide.
About that time I was drawn to the story of Elijah being fed by the widow of Zarephath (see 1 Kings 17:8-16). She was down to the last bit of food in her house, expecting to prepare a last meal for her son and herself and then die. Yet Elijah said to her (I’m paraphrasing), “Feed me first, for God will provide for you.” The widow did as Elijah instructed her, and God did provide. The Bible says, “The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah” (verse 16). I began to pray over that verse, and I can tell you that throughout fifty-two years of ministry and tithing, God has always provided.
We need to remember that, as we saw in chapter 10, everything we have and our ability to earn more comes from God. Giving back 10 percent of what He has given us is a tangible expression of our recognition of that and our thanksgiving to Him for it.
Finally, we need to remember the infinite generosity of our Lord in giving Himself for our salvation. As Paul wrote the Corinthians, he said, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Our giving should reflect the value we place on His gift to us.
VICARIOUS IMMORALITY
You are no doubt wondering how immorality could ever be considered a respectable sin. Let me say right off that we are not going to address things like adultery or pornography here. Those actions are beyond the scope of this book, where we are looking at the sins that Christians tolerate.
So how do we tolerate immorality? We do it by what a friend calls vicarious immorality. Vicarious means “experienced indirectly.” Someone else does something, but you enjoy that experience by watching or reading or some other means.
Do you enjoy reading blogs about celebrities who sleep around and trash motel rooms and otherwise act badly? That’s vicarious immorality.
Are you hooked on television shows where people lie and cheat and treat each other viciously? That’s vicarious immorality.
Do you go to movies or watch television programs knowing that sexually explicit sins will be shown or read novels knowing that such scenes will be described? That’s vicarious immorality.
It’s clear the world around us enjoys this sort of thing. After all, those tabloids and reality shows and movies and novels wouldn’t be produced if people weren’t buying them. This is one instance of values and practices accepted by society around us that are clearly contrary to Scripture. And to the extent that we follow along, we are worldly.
Then there is the area of fashion. The specifics change, but immodest dress in some form — too short, too tight, too much cleavage, underwear showing, no underwear at all — has been a fashion staple for decades now. As I walk along airport concourses or in shopping malls where large crowds of people gather, I’m constantly having to turn my eyes away from looking at something I should not see. Male students tell me this is a big problem on their high school and college campuses.
So there are two areas under this subject in which Christians can become worldly. First, many Christian women seem more concerned about what is fashionable than they are with what is biblical. According to 1 Timothy 2:9, Christian women are to dress with modesty and self-control. If you simply go along with the immodest fashions of the day, you are worldly in this area of your life.
For the men, our problem is looking. I’m not just talking about looking and then entertaining sexual fantasies. Even to linger with eyes and enjoy what women expose or accentuate by what they wear is sin. Yes, we are only doing what otherwise nice, decent men around us are doing. But in that sense, we are worldly.
A younger man recently asked me how I handle this temptation. I told him my first line of defense is Proverbs 27:20, which I learned in the King James Version many years ago: “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” The application to me is that one lingering look never satisfies; it just whets the appetite for more. So don’t linger over what you should not be looking at. Look away!
My second line of defense is Romans 6:21: “What fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” I ask myself what fruit or benefit I receive from indulging in a lustful look. Only the fleeting pleasures of sin, followed by thoughts of shame and regret. So guys, let’s commit ourselves to dealing with this area of worldliness.
IDOLATRY
As we come to this section of worldliness, we again need some explanation. Obviously we are not worshipping idols of wood, metal, and stone these days. Our problem is what some call “idols of the heart.” In this sense, an idol can be anything we place such a high value on that it tends to absorb our emotional and mental energy, or our time and resources. Or it can be anything that takes precedence over our relationship with God.
An object such as a car or a really great phone can be an idol. So can an activity (shopping and gaming) or a status (being popular or cool). I’ve seen lots of instances where a person’s career or vocation becomes an idol. The person becomes so obsessed with getting ahead that God takes second place. And for some Christians, political and cultural issues take on idol status. While I believe it is important for Christians to be knowledgeable and even involved in important issues, we have to be careful that we don’t make idols of our political parties or our cultural concerns.
A very common example of modern-day idolatry is our consuming passion for sports. I know I may be stepping on some toes here. But I don’t think there’s any doubt that sports have become idols in our culture. High school and college football is often spoken of as a religion in many states, and many coaches make huge salaries. Parents spend large portions of their lives ferrying kids to soccer games, swim meets, and cheer competitions. And church services are often let out early to make sure members don’t miss a kick off.
I’m a graduate of a school whose football team has been a major powerhouse over the years. They’ve won seven national championships, the first of which occurred when I was a junior. I give you this background to explain why my school’s football fortunes became something of an idol to me. Even years after I graduated, I would grow tense on Saturday game days, as if my happiness depended on the game’s outcome.
I’m still a fan of my university’s football team, and I’m pleased when they win. But it’s no longer an idol for me. God convicted me of my idolatry, and I now remind myself that football is only a game. A win isn’t a way to glorify God; if anything, winning just panders to our pride. And getting too caught up in sports is just another form of worldliness.
That brings us back to the twofold definition of worldliness. Worldliness, remember, is a preoccupation with the things of this earthly life. It’s also accepting and going along with the values and practices of our society without discerning if they are biblical.
Those two words going along are key. We just do it without thinking. That’s why most Christian young women dress immodestly. They’re simply going along with what others are wearing without stopping to think whether or not those styles are pleasing to God. And there is nothing overtly sinful in sports themselves. But if we simply go with the flow, we can end up making an idol of our favorite team.
So how can we deal with our worldly tendencies? It’s always a good idea to actually stop and think about what we’re doing! But instead of trying to become less worldly, why not focus on becoming more godly? The more we grow in our relationship with Him, the more we will view all aspects of our lives through the lens of His glory, and it’s amazing how our view of the world around us will change.
YOUR TURN
“Use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:31, NIV)
ENGAGE
1. Although the Bible clearly tells us not to “love the world or the things of the world,” Christians often disagree on the specifics. What one person thinks of as harmless, another calls worldly and sinful. So how do we decide where to draw the line? Do you agree with the examples in this story?
2. “By the count of most scholars, Jesus speaks more often about money than any other topic (almost 2 to 1). [He] speaks more often about money than he does about sin, salvation, prayer, sex … anything.” Why do you think He did this?
3. What would you say are the three biggest idols among people your age? How do we know if something’s become an idol for us? How do we break free?
4. This chapter says, “Instead of trying to become less worldly, why not focus on becoming more godly?” What are some practical strategies for doing that?
BRING IT TO GOD
Write down three ways you believe you’ve been “going along” with the culture instead of asking yourself what is biblical and godly. Confess these to God and ask Him to bring you closer to His heart.